Travelling abroad can be a stressful experience, especially when the new environment of post-Brexit and the covid 19 pandemic are concerned.
Having one of the UK government’s new GHIC cards is important as it will entitle you to some aspects of locak state healthcare in some European countries, but this is not a replacement for comprehensive travel insurance and it is incredibly important to find disability travel insurance which fits your unique circumstances and needs.
For those with dissabilities, obtaining the right disabled travel insurance policy in itself can often be difficult, with many insurers not providing cover, or imposing exclusions for dissabilities.
Here at Emerald, we know that there are an infinite number of reasons for disability, none of which should stop you enjoying a holiday abroad. That’s why we are proud to be able to offer disabled travel insurance cover for all types of disability and medical conditions because everyone, including disabled people, has the right to find insurance to cover their needs.
It doesn’t matter whether your disability is physical or caused by a chronic medical condition, something new or something you have had for a long time: we can provide travel insurance cover to allow you to travel with peace of mind that you have disability travel insurance cover in place to cover the cost of emergency medical treatment abroad.
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How do I get Disability Travel Insurance?
Getting travel insurnace for individuals with disabilities is not as tedious our expensive as some insurers would have you believe. With fast and fully confidential medical screening with a specialist on the phone, as well as covering many pre existing medical conditions, Emerald Life specialises in providing the cover you might need for your next holiday or trip abroad. It truly is, as easy as 1 2 3 and all you need to do is simply call us to organise your disabled travel insurance quote
Travelling whilst disabled should not be as big an issue as it perhaps once was. Most people with disabilties are able to travel freely without any additional impediments. Today, most people with disabilities live prosperous and healthy lives in line and sometimes with better health outcomes than their non dissabled friends, family and colleagues.
Travel insurance however, has simply not kept up with this reality, with a number of disabled travel insurance policies being oftentimes expensive, especially for those with disabilties.
At Emerald life we provide two insurance products, both which are authorised and regulated by the financial conduct authority here in the UK. Of the available options, the second product is more suited to those with a pre existing medical condition or disabilities which they would like cover for in their disability travel insurance policy.
The good news is, that there are no upper age limits for this second product at all so, if you are above 75 years old, you are also not excluded from cover if you are disabled, unlike many insurers.
Both of these policies should provide you the cover you need to travel and all the cover you need, allowing you to enjoy your trip!
But what is covered generally in an Emerald Life travel insurance policy? Here are some general points which apply:
Medical Expenses Insurance, Especially Emergency Medical Expenses
One of the most important parts of disabled travel insurance is going to be the medical travel cover. This cover means that if you are ill or injured whilst abroad, your insurer can pay for your treatment and to you it will essentially be ‘free’. The benefits of this section of cover may even extend to specialist care and an insurer may provide cover for repatriation in the event that you need transportation back to your home country for further treatment.
Please note that as medical travel cover is one 0f the most significant costs in terms of potential claims, travel insurers have to know information about your pre existing conditions and any medication you take in order to price your travel insurance fairly.
Depending on what medical conditions or disabilties you have, you may not have to pay a higher premium at all but it is still right and important to declare as much information as you know at the time of the quote being taken by a specialist. Cover is provided on the basis of your information provided at the time of the quote and any situations that require medical treatment or medication generally need to be declared honestly and up-front.
It is important to ensure that in the worst case scenario, you can get the help that you need. This is why all Emerald Life travel insurance policies come with benefits including a 24 hour medical emergency helpline as standard, so that if something does go wrong, you can call a specialist who is available during opening hours and after normal opening hours too wherever you might be, to get the right help you need straight away.
Pre Existing Medical Conditions
If you happen to be a personb with disabilities travelling abroad, it is incredibly important you have appropriate cover for medical conditions which you possess. These conditions could be linked to your disability or disabilities, but it is possible to include things like diabetes and angina in addition.
Including these conditions in a quote discussion before travel to your insurer is important so that the complete risk in providing you cover is made clear to an insurer in order to quote correctly.
Some pre existing medical conditions you don’t even have to declare. However, if you have pre existing medical conditions that could affect your liklihood to claim, it is important you declare them unless you are instructed to do otherwise
Some examples of a pre existing condition might include cancer, heart conditions, diabetes, stroke and epilepsy as well as many other conditions.
The great news about disability travel insurance with Emerald is that after completing a simple multiple choice question about your pre existing medical conditions, you can be provided with a quote over the phone: all with no requirement for a doctor’s certificate.
Loss of Medication Cover
Our disability travel insurance policies include cover for the loss of medication whilst you are away as standard – something that most standard insurance products do not provide. Cover will be provided for all disability travel insurance policies for medication up to 300 pounds usually, for the necessary and reasonable cost of replacing essential medication which is lost or stolen during your trip.
Are Mobility Aids Included in My Policy?
One of the aspects of disability travel insurance which can be frustrating for those travelling is that mobility aids are often not included for free or as standard by most insurers.
The great news about a policy with Emerald, is that irrespective of you taking out platinum policies, or non platinum policies, you are covered for your mobility aids up to £2,500.
You can relax, knowing that you can get help if your mobility aid is lost, stolen or damaged during your trip and please note that this limit includes the cost of temporary hire of a replacement during your trip as well.
If you have any questions about this part of the cover, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the relevant information to hand on our office number at the top of this page and an available team member will be able to help clarify things further for you.
Annual or Single Trip – which works best for me?
One of the most simple questions you will be asked when obtaining insurance for your travel is if you want an annual or single trip policy.
Single trip travel insurance
An Emerald single trip policy will cover you for a trip of up to 94 days in duration. This is perfect for when you have to get one trip covered only and don’t intend to travel additional times in the same 12 month period.
Annual multi trip travel insurance
An Emerald annual multi trip policy will cover you for unlimited trips across the whole year. These trips can individually be up to 31 days in duration. This kind of annual policy can end up be much cheaper if you travel often, or intend to.
If you’re unsure which suits your specific needs, don’t hesitate to get a quote for both!
Cancellation Cover
Picture the nightmare that of you being ill or injured just before you planned your trip: all those plans and prepayments hang in the balance. It is situations like this where travel insurance cover can give you peace of mind.
Some of the costs that may be covered by cancellation cover are:
- your portion of prepaid transport charges
- loss of accommodation
- foreign car hire
- pre-paid excursions booked before you go on your trip (up to a maximum of £250) that you have paid or have agreed to pay, that you cannot recover from any other source,
Additionally, if cancellation happens because you, a travelling companion or close relative is ill, injured or dies before the trip starts, or your passport, or the passport of any people you were intending to travel with, is stolen during the seven days before your booked date of departure – rest assured you’re covered.
Do be aware though, that if you have to cancel because of the death or illness of a close relative, there should not have been any specific concern about that relative before you booked your holiday.
Personal Posessions Cover
Good travel insurance can also provide a lot of help with your personal possessions. In the unfortunate event that your baggage is delayed for at least 12 hours, whilst in the custody of your carrier on your outward journey, you can claim for the cost of buying replacement necessities.
You will also find cover as standard on all Emerald policies for your valuables if they are stolen or damaged, including personal belongings like laptops and mobile phones.
What is an Excess?
If you are in a situation that might result in you having to make a claim, most travel insurance companies will charge an initial fee which is deducted from a successful claim. This fee is referred to in the industry as an ‘excess’.
Whilst it can be tempting when buying travel insurance to just look at the final price, it is important that you check any excesses you have to pay.
That is because some cheap policies will have very high excesses which means any claims could be very expensive. Sometimes excesses are so high it might not even be worth claiming. Therefore, make sure you find the best policy from an insurance provider that balances a good price, with a reasonable excesses that might apply to your own personal situation.
